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Rankings

Choose from eight categories of rankings including Workforce, R&D, Income and Wealth, Quality of Life, and Education to find out how Maryland stacks up against the competition.

Maryland ranks fifth nationally in the percentage of high school seniors who scored at the mastery level on Advanced Placement (AP) exams, with 31.5% earning a score of 3 or higher in 2018. Maryland also ranks fifth among the states in the percentage of graduates taking AP tests during high school at 46.9%, up from 39.5% in 2009. 1

Maryland is fourth in the nation with 17 higher education institutions designated by the National Security Agency and Department of Homeland Security as National Centers of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense education and research. 2

According to Quality Counts, Education Week’s annual assessment of key indicators of student success, Maryland’s K-12 public school system ranks fourth overall based on three graded categories that include chance for success, K-12 achievement and school finance.3

According to U.S. News and World Report’s Best Colleges survey, Johns Hopkins University holds the following rankings: 4

10th overall among top national universities that offer doctoral degrees, and 19th best value

ninth for the quality of undergraduate research/creative projects

sixth, ranked by high school counselors as offering the best undergraduate education

second among top research medical schools, with top five rankings in the following specialties: anesthesiology, internal medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, psychiatry, radiology, and surgery

St. Mary’s College of Maryland ranks fifth among top public liberal arts colleges in the nation

Loyola University Maryland ranks fourth among top northern universities that offer undergraduate and master’s degrees, sixth best for undergraduate teaching, 12th most innovative, and is the top northern university for veterans

Goucher College ranks fifth for undergraduate study abroad programs, and 11th most innovative among national liberal arts colleges

St. John's College ranks 12th for undergraduate teaching among national liberal arts colleges

Towson University ranks 12th among public northern universities that offer undergraduate and master’s degrees

Salisbury University ranks 19th among top public northern universities

McDaniel College ranks first for best value among northern universities, and 17th best for undergraduate teaching

Hood College ranks 17th in best values among northern universities that offer undergraduate and master’s degrees

Maryland Institute College of Art ranks ninth overall for its master of fine arts program, with top five rankings in graphic design, painting/drawing and sculpture

Morgan State University ranks 15th and the University of Maryland Eastern Shore ranks 19th among historically black colleges

The Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda ranks fourth in nursing anesthesia

The United States Naval Academy ranks first in the nation among top public liberal arts colleges, and 17th overall among top national liberal arts colleges

The United States Naval Academy ranks fourth in undergraduate engineering among schools without PhD programs, including second in aerospace, eighth in electrical and ninth in mechanical engineering

According to a U.S. News and World Report ranking of U.S. public high schools, Maryland places second based on the percentage of schools ranked in the top 25 percent nationally, with 43.7%. Top-ranked schools are those whose students demonstrate outstanding outcomes above expectations in math and reading assessments, pass and participate in a college level exams, and graduate in high proportions. 7

According to the Princeton Review and Entrepreneur magazine, the University of Maryland, College Park ranks seventh among undergraduate entrepreneurship programs for 2020. 8

Johns Hopkins University ranks 11th in U.S. News and World Report's list of Best Global Universities, which rates institutions on their academic research performance and global and regional reputations. Further, Hopkins ranks in the top ten in ten subject specialties. 9

According to Times Higher Education, Johns Hopkins University is 12th worldwide in a ranking of research intensive universities based on teaching, research, knowledge transfer and international outlook. Further, the university ranks sixth worldwide for clinical, pre-clinical and health fields, sixth for life sciences, and 15th for education. 10

The University of Maryland, College Park ranks 13th among U.S. public universities according to the Academic Ranking of World Universities. In addition, UMCP ranks in the top 15 worldwide in the following subjects: atmospheric science, environmental engineering, aerospace engineering, remote sensing, communications, business administration, management, and library and information sciences. 11

Johns Hopkins University ranks 16th worldwide and 13th in the U.S. among research universities according to the Academic Ranking of World Universities. Hopkins ranks second in the world in the fields of public health and medical technology, sixth in clinical medicine, seventh in nursing, ninth in human biological sciences, tenth in biological science, 11th in biotechnology, and 12th in biomedical engineering and statistics. 12

The University of Maryland, College Park (UMCP), and Johns Hopkins University rank ​among the top 30 doctorate-granting institutions in the nation based on the number of recipients for 2018. Johns Hopkins ranks third in life sciences doctorates, while UMCP ranks among the top 20 for math and computer sciences; psychology and social sciences; and engineering. Based on a 5-year total (2014-2018), Johns Hopkins and UMCP rank among the top 20 for Asian doctorate recipients, while UMCP and Morgan State University are in the top 20 for African American recipients. 13

In WalletHub's ranking of the most educated states in the U.S., Maryland ranks second overall based on a combination of educational attainment, school quality, and achievement gaps. 14

Johns Hopkins University ranks 14th among the best universities in the world according to CEOWorld magazine, and also ranks in the top 10 globally for medicine and health science, as well as life science degrees. John Hopkins also ranks 4th among all univerisities for nursing degrees.15

Resources

1Maryland State Department of Education press release, February 7, 2020.

2 National Security Agency, Information Assurance Directorate as of December 18, 2019.

3Education Week, Quality Counts 2019, September 4, 2019.

4 U.S. News and World Report, America’s Best Colleges and Best Graduate Schools 2020 Editions.

5 U.S. News and World Report, America’s Best Colleges and Best Graduate Schools 2020 Editions.

6 U.S. News and World Report, America’s Best Colleges and Best Graduate Schools 2020 Editions.

7 U.S. News and World Report, Best High Schools 2019, April 2019.

8 The Princeton Review and Entrepreneur magazine, 2020 Top Schools for Entrepreneurs.

9 U.S. News and World Report, Best Global Universities 2020.

10 Times Higher Education, World University Rankings 2020 and subject rankings 2019.

​​Maryland holds the following rankings for women and minority business ownership:
1

Seventh in the percentage of minority-owned firms as a share of all firms with paid employees (23.9%)

Fifth in the percentage of women-owned firms as a share of all firms with paid employees (22.4%)

Second in the percentage of African American-owned firms as a share of all firms with paid employees (6.6%)

Fifth in the percentage of Asian-owned firms as a share of all firms with paid employees (13.3%)

12th in the percentage of Hispanic-owned firms as a share of all firms with paid employees (3.8%)

​Maryland ranks third per capita and fourth overall in Small Business Innovation Research Program (SBIR) awards for 2018. Small businesses in Maryland received $132.6 million from the U.S. Small Business Administration through the highly competitive SBIR Program (equating to $21.95 per capita).
2

With 130 of the nation's fastest growing private sector firms, Maryland ranks fifth among the states for Inc. 5000 companies as a percentage of total companies. 3 ​​​

Baltimore places fifth in a ranking of the "Top 10 Rising Cities for Startups" based on costs, education levels, college presence, entrepreneurship rates, working-age population growth and venture capital investment. 4

Maryland ranks ninth among the states in the value of venture capital deals for 2018, and 10th in the number of deals. A total of 81 venture capital deals in Maryland in 2018 resulted in over $1.1 billion in investment. 5

​Maryland is one of only 13 states with a “triple triple” general obligation bond rating -- AAA rating from the three major bond rating agencies -- and the state has the longest running Triple-A rating with a “stable” outlook from S&P Global, dating back to 1961. 1

​Maryland ranks second per capita among the states and fourth in dollar value of federal government contracts, totaling $35.8 billion. For Department of Defense contracts, Maryland ranks third per capita among states and sixth in total dollar value with $15.4 billion. 2

According to a study on business taxes by Ernst & Young, Maryland businesses pay the second lowest share of state and local taxes, with business taxes accounting for 31.4% of total taxes collected in the state, compared with 43.5% for the national average. ​Further, Maryland ranks first for the lowest total state and local business taxes paid per dollar of net government spending that benefits businesses. 3

In the most recent Business Facilities Ranking Report, Maryland ranks fourth among the states for cybersecurity growth potential, fourth also for bioscience strength, and eighth for FTZ import activity, with Baltimore FTZ #74 ranking third among top zones for imports. Among metros, California-Lexington Park ranks first as a STEM job leader. 4

According to fDi Intelligence, a division of the Financial Times, Baltimore ranks seventh among large cities for connectivity, which includes internet speed; mobile phone subscribers; airport access and flights; and number of ports and performance. 5

​The Port of Baltimore ranks 13th for the total dollar value of foreign waterborne commerce and eighth for cargo tonnage among all ports in the nation. 6

Maryland ranks seventh in the 2019 State Energy Efficiency Scorecard compiled by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy. The report ranks states on the adoption and implementation of energy efficient policies which reduce energy costs, spur job growth, and benefit the environment. Maryland is the most improved state in the 2019 report. 7

Three Maryland jurisdictions are ranked in the top ten for their population size class in the Center for Digital Government’s 2019 Digital Counties Survey. Montgomery County ranks first among counties with over a million residents, Prince George's is fourth for counties with a population from one-half to one million, and Charles County also ranks fourth among jurisdictions with a population between 150,000 and 249,999. The survey examines government technology practices and initiatives to streamline delivery of government services, encourage collaboration, and enhance cybersecurity. 8

Maryland places third in the 2018 Grid Modernization Index, which ranks states on the degree to which they are moving toward a modernized electric grid. The index evaluates grid operations, state support and customer engagement. 9

Maryland ranks second in the Center for Digital Government's 2019 State Government Experience Awards which honor states that offer a sophisticated digital user experience to their citizens. 10

Maryland places eighth among states with the best economies according to a study that ranks states based on GDP growth, job growth, unemployment rate, poverty rate, and bachelor degree attainment. 11

Baltimore ranks fifth among the 100 most populous U.S. cities according to the New American Economy's Cities Index, which evaluates cities based on immigrant integration as measured by local policies and socioeconomic outcomes. 12

In a ranking of the best U.S. cities for public transit, three Maryland communities score in the top 25 including Silver Spring, Takoma Park and Hyattsville. Further, Baltimore places eighth in a ranking of only the largest cities with a population of 300,000 or more. 13

UBI Global ranks Baltimore's Emerging Tech Centers in the World's Top Ten Public Business Incubators. The ranking is based on 21 indicators including: job creation, businesses graduated, investment attracted, and services offered.14

Forbes ranks the Baltimore Development Corporation in the Top 10 Community Organizations for Opportunity Zone Players. The ranking is based on Opportunity Zone Players developed by U.S. Impact Investing Alliance, Georgetown University, and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York; which prioritizes community benefit and engagement, transparency and impact. 15

According to 24/7 Wall St., Maryland is the 9th best state for business based on real GDP growth, average earning per job, educational attainment, and venture capital deals per capita.16

3 Ernst & Young, Total State and Local Business Taxes, State-by-State Estimates for Fiscal Year 2018, prepared in conjunction with the Council on State Taxation and the State Tax Research Institute; assumes 50% of education spending benefits business.

​​Maryland has the highest median household income among states for 2018 at $83,242, which is 34% above the national median.
1

Maryland ranks third among the states in the ratio of millionaire households to total households, with 8.85% of households having $1 million or more in investable or liquid assets in 2018.
2

Maryland has the third lowest poverty rate for 2018, with 9.0% of the population living in poverty, compared with 13.1% for the U.S. as a whole.
3

Maryland is home to three of the top 20 large counties in the nation for median household income. Howard County ranks 9th ($116,984), Montgomery 16th ($108,188) and Calvert 18th ($107,884) among 800+ counties with a population of 65,000 or greater.
4

Maryland ranks sixth among the states in per capita personal income ($63,354).
5

Resources

1 U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, 2018 American Community Survey; ranking excludes Washington D.C.

​​Maryland ranks third in the Milken Institute’s biennial State Technology and Science Index for 2018. ​According to study results, Maryland received top ten rankings in four of the five index components, including first in the technology and science workforce category, and second in human capital investment and research and development inputs. The Index measures the technology and science assets of states, ranking them on their ability to foster and sustain a technology sector, which is crucial in determining a region's future economic success.
1

Maryland ranks sixth in the 2017 State New Economy Index, a measure of a state's economy as knowledge-based, globalized, entrepreneurial, information technology-driven and innovation-based. 2

The Maryland/Virginia/Washington DC "BioHealth Capital Region" places fourth in a ranking of the top ten U.S. biopharma clusters based on criteria including patents, NIH grant funding, venture capital, lab space and number of jobs. 3

​​​Maryland ranks sixth among the states in the square footage of LEED-certified commercial and institutional green buildings per capita for 2019. By using less energy, LEED buildings save money for businesses and taxpayers; reduce greenhouse gas emissions; and contribute to a healthier environment for workers and the larger community.4

Maryland places fourth in WalletHub's State Innovation Index based on 24 indicators including share of STEM professionals, R&D spending per capita, tech company density, and other human capital and innovation environment factors. 5

Maryland ranks fifth in the 2019 Bloomberg U.S. State Innovation Index which scores states based on six metrics, in which Maryland ranks first for STEM concentration, and third for R&D intensity, tech company density, and science and engineering degree holders.6

Suburban Maryland/Metro DC, spanning the Bethesda, Rockville and Gaithersburg areas in Montgomery County northwest to Frederick County, ranks fifth among U.S. life sciences clusters. The ranking is based on life science establishment and employment concentration, venture capital and NIH funding, as well as life sciences real estate supply, occupancy and rent.7

Maryland ranks highly in the technology intensity of its business base. The state ranks third in science, engineering and technology (SET) establishments as a share of all business establishments (12.7%), third in employment in SET establishments as a share of all employment (16.24%), and third in SET business formation as a percent of all business establishments. 8

Maryland is an "Innovation Champion" according to the Consumer Technology Association's 2018 Innovation Scorecard. The ranking is based on 12 criteria that include sensible tax structures and policies allowing cutting-edge technologies and new business models to flourish, all of which creates high-quality jobs and healthy economic growth. Maryland received "A" ratings on "Advanced Degrees, Tech Workforce, Self-Driving Vehicles, and Drones". 9

According to the CBRE 2019 U.S. Life Sciences Clusters report, Washington D.C. - Baltimore ranks sixth among leading life sciences markets based on laboratory inventory, size and long-term growth in life sciences employment, number and concentration of key scientists, and size of funding sources. 10

Maryland ranks as a top ten global cybersecurity hub for 2019 according to CSO. The state's cyber workforce as well as the presence of the NSA and other federal facilities, the Baltimore Cyber Range, and headquarters of 15 companies from the Cybersecurity 500 list contribute to Maryland's inclusion in the top ten. 11

Johns Hopkins Hospital ranks third in the U.S. News and World Report honor roll of best hospitals in the nation, with excellence in fifteen out of sixteen specialty categories, and the highest rating possible in seven out of nine procedures or conditions evaluated. Further​more, Johns Hopkins Children‘s Center ranks ninth on the honor roll among best children's hospitals, and is nationally ranked in all ten pediatric specialties evaluated. 1 ​

Marylanders ranks second in the 2019 Generosity Index which measures the extent and depth of generosity. The index is based on percentage of tax filers donating to charity, in which Maryland ranks first, and percentage of aggregate income donated, in which the state ranks seventh. 2

Maryland ranks fifth among the states in active physicians per capita, with over 24,600 doctors statewide.3

Maryland ranks seventh for the percentage of households with a broadband internet subscription. 4

Maryland is the sixth best state according to a U.S. News and World Report ranking on over 70 weighted metrics that measure how well states are performing for their citizens, including health care, education, economy, infrastructure, opportunity, fiscal stability, crime, and the natural environment. 5

Maryland is seventh in a ranking of America's Best States to Live In, based on poverty level, bachelor degree attainment and life expectancy. 6

Three Maryland communities, Gaithersburg, Silver Spring and Germantown, rank among the top ten most diverse cities in the U.S. according to a 2019 analysis of 500 cities by WalletHub. Furthermore, the three Montgomery County communities hold the top three places among small cities in the report, while Rockville, also in Montgomery County, places tenth. The ranking is based on an index of socioeconomic, cultural, economic, household and religious diversity. 7

Baltimore places fifth among U.S. cities, and second among large cities with one million or more population, in Healthgrades' National Health Index based on access to care, population health, hospital quality, and local specialists. 8

Baltimore places fourth among large metros where African Americans are doing the best economically. The ranking is based on household income, home ownership, self-employment and population change. 9

Maryland ranks as the seventh most diverse state in the U.S. according to a WalletHub analysis of data in six major categories of diversity including socioeconomic, cultural, economic, household, religious and political. 10

Maryland is the fourth safest state to raise children based on an analysis of child abuse, homicide, school shootings and poverty. 11

According to a U.S. News ranking of nearly 3,000 counties on 81 indicators that drive community health, Howard County, Maryland ranks 10th among the healthiest communities in the nation. 12

Baltimore is included in a Wall Street Journal list of the top three U.S. cities for recent college grads based on job opportunities, rent and social life. 13

Columbia, Maryland places first in a ranking of 180 cities across 41 key indicators of safety including home and community safety, natural disaster risk, and financial security. 14

According to a 2020 study by WalletHub, Maryland ranks ninth overall in racial integration, fifth in the smallest gap in poverty between blacks and whites, and sixth in the smallest gap in employment and wealth.15

According to a 2018 study by the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, Maryland ranks first among best and worst states for women based on employment and earnings. The ranking is based on women’s earnings, wage gap between men and women, labor force participation among women, and the share of women employed in professional or managerial occupations.16

According to Governing Magazine's annual "Cities on the Move report Baltimore City ranks as the top performer for resident involvement measured by how well city government "incorporates [citizen] reedback into decision-making and its transparency about how that input is used.17

Balitmore ranks 7th among large North American cities for connectivity according to FDi' American Cities of the Future 2019/20 report.18

Resources

1 U.S. News and World Report, June and July 2019.

2 The Fraser Institute, Generosity in Canada and the United States: The 2019 Generosity Index, December 2019.

​3 Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation and U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, data for 2019; ranking excludes Washington, DC.

4 U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, 2018 American Community Survey.

5 U.S. News and World Report, May 14, 2019.

6 24/7 Wall Street, America's Best States to Live In, November 4, 2019.

7 WalletHub, 2019's Most Diverse Cities in the U.S., April 10, 2019.

8 Healthgrades.com, 2019 National Health Index, October 2018.

9 Forbes.com, The Cities Where African-Americans are Doing the Best Economically 2018, January 15, 2018.

10 WalletHub, 2019's Most & Least Diverse States in America, September 17, 2019.

11 SafeHome.org, How Safe is Your State to Raise Children, 2018.

12 U.S. News and World Report, Healthiest Communities Ranking 2019.

13 Wall Street Journal, May 10, 2019.

14 WalletHub, 2019's Safest Cities in America, December 2, 2019.

15 WalletHub, 2020’s States with the Most Racial Progress, 01/14/2020.16 The Institute for Women’s Policy Research, The Economic Status of Women in the States, 03/01/2018 ranking excludes Washington, DC.

​Johns Hopkins University ranks first among U.S. colleges and universities in total National Institutes of Health awards, including grants and contracts for research, development, training and fellowships ($763.6 million).
1

Johns Hopkins University ranks first among academic institutions in the nation in research and development expenditures, totaling $2.66 billion in FY 2018. The university also ranks first in federally funded research ($2.25 billion).
2

​Maryland ranks first in Natio​nal Institutes of Health research and development contract awards ($779.6 million).
3

Maryland ranks second among the states in federal obligations for research and development ($15.4 billion) and first on a per capita basis.
4

Maryland ranks second in research and development intensity, which is the ratio of total R&D expenditures to gross domestic product (GDP) by state. Maryland ranks seventh in total R&D performance, including federal and state government, business, nonprofit and academia.
5

Maryland ranks fifth in R&D expenditures at universities and colleges, totaling $4.17 billion in FY 2018. Further, Maryland ranks third in federal government R&D spending at universities and colleges with $3.21 billion.
6

According to the Federal Laboratory Consortium for Technology Transfer, Maryland is home to 78 federal laboratories, more than twice as many as any other state.7

Johns Hopkins University ranks 12th worldwide among universities in the number of World Intellectual Property Organization administered Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) international patent applications for 2018, totaling 99.8

Resources

​

1 National Institutes of Health, data for FY 2019.

2 National Science Foundation, data for FY 2018.

3 National Institutes of Health, data for FY 2019.

4 National Science Foundation, data for FY 2017, and U.S. Bureau of the Census; ranking excludes Washington, DC.

​Marylan​d has the highest concentration of employed doctoral scientists and engineers. The state ranks first in total PhD scientists and engineers per 100,000 employed workers, with a first place ranking for PhD scientists and fifth for PhD engin​eers. Maryland also holds rankings in the following fields for employed doctoral scientists per 100,000 employed workers:

first in biological sciences, mathematics and statistics, and health

second in physical sciences and social sciences

third in psychology

sixth in computer and information sciences1

​Maryland ranks third among the states in the percentage of professional and technical workers (27.8%) in the workforce.
2

​Maryland ranks third among the states in the percentage of the population age 25 and above with a bachelor’s degree or higher (40.8%) and second in the percentage with a graduate or professional degree (18.9%). 3

Maryland has the highest concentration of workers in STEM occupations at 9.8%, totaling 252,910 workers in 2019. 4

According to the Cyberstates 2019 report, Maryland ranks third among the states in median tech occupation wages ($95,921), fourth in the ratio of female workers in tech occupations (23.4%), and eighth for tech GSP as a percentage of total GSP (11.7%). 5

Maryland ranks fourth among the states in federal government employment, with 144,963 non-military federal jobs in 2018. On a per capita basis, the state ranks first with 240 federal jobs per 10,000 residents. Non-military federal jobs generate $15.3 billion in total wages in Maryland, ranking fourth among the states. Further, these jobs pay better in Maryland than in any other state, with an average annual wage of $105,797, which is 27% higher than the national average. 6

Baltimore maintains its first place position among the "Best American Cities for Women in Business," which is based on the percentage of women-owned businesses, executive jobs held by women, gender wage gap, and buying power of women. 7

Baltimore is first in a ranking of the best cities for women in technology based on tech jobs filled by women, tech job growth, overall pay for women and the gender pay gap. 8

In a study of growth and concentration of "creative class" workers in large U.S. metros, Baltimore ranks seventh among large metros for share of creative class workers in 2017 (44.9%). Further, Baltimore is one of only two of the top ten leading creative class metros to rank in the top ten also for growth in the creative class share from 2005 to 2017 (16.0%).9